IMAGE: 19-year-old D Gukesh final competed in Goa in 2019, ending tenth within the Class Goa Worldwide Open Grandmasters Chess Match regardless of being seeded a lot decrease at first. {Photograph}: Sort Courtesy Chin An/FIDE
World Chess Champion D Gukesh is trying ahead to returning to Goa, a venue that holds fond reminiscences from his early taking part in days, as he prepares to guide the Indian problem on the prestigious FIDE World Cup beginning in Panaji on Friday.
The FIDE World Cup, some of the important occasions on the worldwide chess calendar, returns to India after 23 years. The match will probably be held at a resort in North Goa from October 31 to November 27, 2025, providing a complete prize fund of US$2 million.
“I’m actually excited concerning the World Cup. Enjoying anyplace in India is nice and I’ve some nice reminiscences of Goa. I’ve performed some junior occasions there. So, trying ahead to being there,” stated Gukesh, who will begin as the highest seed within the competitors.
The 19-year-old final competed in Goa in 2019, ending tenth within the Class Goa Worldwide Open Grandmasters Chess Match regardless of being seeded a lot decrease at first.
Now returning because the reigning world champion, Gukesh hopes to make it one other memorable journey to the coastal state, regarded amongst India’s high sporting and vacationer locations.
A discipline of 206 gamers from 82 international locations will compete within the knockout-format occasion, with the highest three finishers qualifying for the 2026 Candidates Match. Gukesh has acquired a bye within the opening spherical and is more likely to face Kazybek Nogerbek of Kazakhstan within the second.
One other high participant who’s trying ahead to pocket the winner’s purse of USD 120,000 is Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri.
Having already sealed his spot within the Candidates 2026, which is able to determine the challenger for Gukesh within the subsequent World Championships cycle, Giri could have rather less strain going into the match.
“The World Cup it is an ideal occasion and I’m going to play it regardless. It is enjoyable to play it,” stated Giri, who would be the highest ranked overseas participant within the competitors.
Talking concerning the problem of the qualification format, Giri stated, “It is a very difficult qualification path, whichever is the format. I’ve performed loads of them (World Cup). As soon as I bought very near qualifying by means of the world cup. I misplaced the semi-final to Peter Svidler (in 2015).”
The FIDE World Cup has been following the knock-out format since 2005 and solely Viswanathan Anand of India and Armenia’s Levon Aronian have to date managed to win the title twice within the historical past of the match.
